One of the best things about summer camp is the non-stop fun activities that campers can do, day after day. Camp activities are the highlight of most kids’ camp experiences, and one of the first things they tell their families about when they get home. Plus, the right activities can help campers build important life skills and bond together, making the entire camp experience more rewarding. If you’re a counselor, it’s often your responsibility to come up with camp counselor activity ideas that keep kids engaged and entertained.
To help you get started, we’ve compiled 30 of the most fun, tried-and-tested camp counselor games and activities to help every camper have a fun, rewarding USA summer camp experience. By adding some of these activities to your repertoire, you’ll quickly become a hit among your campers! In this guide, we’ll cover:
- Why fun games and activities are so important at camp
- 30 camp counselor activity ideas to keep your campers happy
- How you can become a camp counselor with AmeriCamp
- Other tips for running successful camp activities and games
At AmeriCamp, we help connect prospective camp counselors based overseas with incredible opportunities to work at US summer camps. As a J-1 visa sponsor, we ensure you have all the documentation needed to secure a summer camp job, then work with our vast network of US summer camps to help you find an opportunity that matches your camp counselor skills, goals, and values.
Interested in learning more about the opportunities available through AmeriCamp? Start your application here for the adventure of a lifetime at a US summer camp! In the meantime, check out our list below of the best camp counselor activity ideas.
Why Fun Games and Activities are So Important at Camp
At the best US summer camps, fun games and activities play a pivotal role in creating memories and helping campers grow. Whether it's sparking imagination around a campfire, fostering teamwork on the ropes course, or cultivating creativity in the arts and crafts cabin, each activity has an important role to play.
As well as being fun, these camp counselor activities and games can:
- Engage campers
- Build teamwork skills
- Develop confidence
Let’s explore the significance of fun games and activities at camp, and why they’re such an integral part of the overall camp experience.
Engaging Campers
One of the main goals of camp activities is to captivate the attention and interest of campers, ensuring their active participation and enjoyment throughout their stay. Being a camp counselor, it’s important to offer a variety of games and activities that cater to the different interests and skills of your campers. This creates an inclusive environment where all campers feel engaged, comfortable, and happy.
For example, organizing a scavenger hunt stimulates curiosity and encourages collaboration and teamwork among campers. Similarly, themed costume contests or talent shows provide opportunities for self-expression and creativity, encouraging campers to showcase their unique talents and interests.
Building Teamwork Skills
Camp activities offer invaluable opportunities for campers to develop essential teamwork skills, such as:
- Communication
- Cooperation
- Problem-solving
Whether you’re organizing outdoor challenges, soccer coaching in America, or running cooperative games, you can have a big impact on the campers around you. Through these games and activities, campers learn to collaborate with their peers, using each other's strengths and perspectives to achieve common goals – a skill that’s critical throughout life.
Team-building initiatives like the "trust fall" exercise encourage campers to rely on each other for support and encouragement, reinforcing the importance of teamwork and mutual respect. With collaborative activities like this, campers strengthen their interpersonal skills and forge lasting bonds together.
Developing Confidence
Fun games and activities provide a supportive environment for campers to step out of their comfort zones, take on new challenges, and discover their strengths and abilities. Whether conquering a fear of heights on a zip line or mastering a new skill in an arts and crafts workshop, your camp activities can encourage campers to embrace opportunities for growth and self-improvement.
For instance, participating in a talent show allows campers to showcase their talents and interests in front of their peers, giving them a sense of pride and accomplishment. By celebrating individual achievements and encouraging a growth mindset, camp activities nurture the self-esteem of campers, building confidence for whatever life throws their way.
The 30 Best Camp Counselor Activity Ideas
A big part of the camp counselor job description is to plan and supervise games and activities for your campers. It’s important to choose a wide variety of activities, including:
- Outdoor team activities
- Activities to develop survival and outdoor skills
- Evening activities
- Wet weather activities
- Art and craft activities
Let’s take a look at some of the best camp counselor activity ideas in each of the categories above.
Outdoor Team Activity Ideas
Outdoor team activities like sports are great for the physical health of campers, as well as their team-building skills. In fact, research shows that there are many benefits of playing sports for kids, and that young adults who play sports have higher self-esteem and happiness than those who don’t. Here are some summer camp counselor ideas for fun, engaging outdoor team activities:
- Capture the Flag: A classic outdoor game that encourages strategy, teamwork, and physical activity. Split into two teams, each team aims to capture the opponent's flag while defending their own territory.
- Obstacle Course Challenge: Set up a challenging obstacle course using ropes, cones, and tires. Campers work together in small groups to navigate the course, testing their agility, coordination, and teamwork.
- Nature Scavenger Hunt: Create a list of items or clues related to the local plants and animals for campers to find in the area around them. An outdoor scavenger hunt promotes exploration, observation skills, and environmental awareness.
- The Human Knot: This is a great activity for team building, and starts with campers standing in circles of 6-10. Each camper reaches out and grabs the hands of two campers in theirs, creating a big knot of arms that has to be solved with communication and trust.
- Minefield: Set up a minefield using cones or other objects as mines. Working in pairs, one camper is blindfolded and has to navigate the minefield based only on verbal instructions from their partner. It’s always fun and great for building teamwork skills!
- River Rafting Expedition: Some of the best summer camps in the USA have access to river rafting. Rafting allows campers to work together to navigate rapids and obstacles while enjoying a thrilling joyride down a scenic waterway.
These fun games and activities ensure your campers get plenty of fresh air and sunshine outdoors, which contributes to healthy bone development and a stronger immune system.
Camp Counselor Activities to Develop Outdoor Skills
Developing outdoor skills isn’t just about learning how to survive in the wilderness, it also helps campers grow an appreciation and respect for the natural world around them. These activities are great choices for your summer camp job and developing your campers’ outdoor skills:
- Archery Lessons: Provide instructions and practice sessions for campers to learn the fundamentals of archery, including proper stance, aiming, and shooting techniques. Archery helps improve focus, coordination, and patience.
- Fishing: Try organizing a fishing trip to a nearby lake or river while you’re working at a USA summer camp. Campers can learn basic fishing techniques like casting, baiting hooks, and catching fish responsibly.
- Wilderness Navigation: Lead campers on a wilderness navigation adventure using maps, compasses, and GPS devices. Teach basic orienteering skills, including map reading, route planning, and using landmarks to navigate the terrain.
- Outdoor Cooking Class: Demonstrate and supervise campers in preparing simple meals over a campfire or portable stove. From cooking foil-wrapped vegetables to baking campfire desserts, campers learn valuable cooking skills while improving teamwork and creativity.
- Rock Climbing and Rappelling: With proper instruction and the right safety equipment, campers can challenge themselves physically and mentally with rock climbing. They’ll build confidence and trust in their abilities, and might even discover a new hobby for life.
- Survival Skills Workshop: Teach campers essential outdoor survival skills, like building a shelter, starting a fire without matches, and identifying edible plants. This hands-on experience may come in handy someday, and also contributes to a deeper appreciation for nature.
Spending more time in an outdoor environment improves the mental, physical, and social health of campers. These fun, engaging activities are a great addition to any summer camp itinerary.
Evening Camp Counselor Activity Ideas
One of the best parts of summer camp is the nights spent around the campfire, under the stars. While evenings are a good time for your campers to relax, you can also organize some fun after-dark activities that end the day on a high. Wondering how to be a good camp counselor? Try these timeless nighttime activities:
- Campfire Stories and Songs: Gather around the campfire for a classic summer camp night of storytelling, singing, and toasting marshmallows. Encourage campers to share their favorite ghost stories or lead sing-alongs with popular camp songs.
- Stargazing Night: Put your camp counselor qualities to the test by organizing a stargazing session where campers can learn about constellations, planets, and celestial phenomena. Use telescopes or stargazing apps to enhance the experience and spark curiosity.
- Talent Show: Host a talent show where campers can showcase their talents, whether it's singing, dancing, magic tricks, or stand-up comedy. This promotes self-expression, confidence, and appreciation for other people’s talents and differences.
- Outdoor Movie Night: Set up a projector and screen outdoors for a movie night under the stars. Choose family-friendly films or camp-themed movies that appeal to campers of all ages, providing blankets and popcorn for a cozy viewing experience.
- Glow Stick Dance Party: Crank up the bass and turn the campfire area into a dance floor with good vibes and lights or lamps for decorations. Hand out glow sticks to campers and other counselors to really get the party started!
- Flashlight Tag: Tag is fun any time, but the after-dark version takes it to the next level. Make sure everyone has a flashlight, and choose someone to be “it.” Once they tag someone else, they’re “it” and the game goes on.
Working as a camp counselor in America, you might find that campers become more confident after the sun goes down. This makes it a great opportunity for the group to bond and create memories together.
Wet Weather Camp Counselor Activity Ideas
Sometimes, even though you’ve planned a perfect day of outdoor activities, the weather interferes. Part of working at the best camps in America is always having a plan B, and being able to pivot when the forecast doesn’t cooperate. Here are some great indoor camp counselor activity ideas to help you out:
- Indoor Games Tournament: Move inside for a day of friendly competition with different board games, card games, and table tennis. Organize a tournament with prizes for winners to encourage some healthy competition and keep everyone motivated!
- Arts and Crafts Workshop: Host an arts and crafts workshop where campers can unleash their creativity through painting, pottery, jewelry making, or other craft projects. You could also encourage campers to make friendship bracelets to swap with each other!
- Cooking Class: Take advantage of the kitchen facilities to teach campers cooking skills and recipes that can be prepared indoors, like pizza or cookies. You can even run a Masterchef-style cooking competition to keep campers engaged.
- Indoor Sports and Fitness Challenges: Transform indoor spaces into makeshift sports arenas for games like indoor soccer, basketball, or volleyball. Add fitness challenges and relay races to keep campers active and energized despite the bad weather.
- Newspaper Fashion Show: Split campers into small groups and select one person from each group to get dressed up in a newspaper outfit. Each group makes creative outfits for their model, who then participates in a fashion show to find the ultimate winner.
- DIY Science Experiments: Turn indoor spaces into makeshift laboratories for hands-on science experiments. From making slime to doing simple chemical reactions, campers engage in educational and entertaining activities that stimulate curiosity and learning.
Even if you’re not trying to escape the rain, these camp activities are still a fun addition to your camp schedule, and most of them can be moved outdoors if the weather cooperates.
Art and Craft Camp Activity Ideas
Art and craft projects are a great chance to let campers unleash their creativity. These artsy activities are always a hit:
- Nature Collage: Encourage campers to collect natural materials like leaves, flowers, and pebbles to create collages that reflect their surroundings. Provide glue, paper, and other art supplies for campers to arrange and decorate their nature-inspired artworks.
- Tie-Dye T-Shirt Workshop: Host a tie-dye workshop where campers can personalize plain white T-shirts with fun colors and patterns. This is a great activity for creativity and self-expression, and gives campers an iconic souvenir to remember their time at camp.
- Pottery Painting: Set up a pottery painting station where campers can decorate pre-made ceramic pieces like mugs, plates, or figurines. Provide lots of different paint colors and brushes for campers to unleash their artistic talents and create their own masterpieces.
- Jewelry Making: Offer jewelry-making workshops where campers can design their own bracelets, necklaces, or earrings using beads, strings, and other materials. This activity encourages fine motor skills, creativity, and a new appreciation for handmade crafts!
- Recycled Art Project: Challenge campers to transform recyclable materials like cardboard, plastic bottles, or newspapers into works of art. From sculptures to mosaics, this eco-friendly activity promotes environmental awareness and creativity while reducing waste.
- Nature Weaving Workshop: Guide campers in creating nature-inspired woven artworks using natural materials like twigs, grasses, and yarn. This tactile and creative activity encourages campers to explore their surroundings and express themselves through nature.
Art and craft projects are a great opportunity for campers to create mementos and souvenirs to take home and remember their camp experience, or to give to friends and family members as loving, hand-made gifts.
Got What It Takes to Run Camp Activities? Join AmeriCamp Today!
At AmeriCamp, we work with thousands of the best summer camps across the US to connect camp counselors to their dream summer camp role. With a 99% placement success rate, we’re bound to have a camp that’s made for you! Here’s what you need to know about the AmeriCamp experience.
What Our Programs Offer
One of the most challenging parts of working as a camp counselor in the US is securing a visa that allows you to earn money at summer camp and travel after your camp placement. AmeriCamp acts as your J-1 visa sponsor, ensuring you have everything you need to get a job at a summer camp in the US.
As well as helping you navigate the visa process, we can also circulate your camp counselor resume across our thousands of camp partners to make sure you find a summer camp experience that’s right for you. When you join AmeriCamp, here’s what you can enjoy:
- Guidance and sponsorship for your J-1 visa and cultural exchange permits
- Orientation programs to help you prepare for life at camp
- A minimum camp counselor salary of $2,000 for your camp placement
- Free accommodation and meals for the duration of your camp
- Comprehensive medical insurance throughout your time in the US
- Award-winning customer support and 24/7 emergency assistance
- Up to 30 days of travel in the US after your camp wraps up
At AmeriCamp, we take care of all the details so you can focus on having an unforgettable camp experience and planning the ultimate camp games and activities!
How to Get Started
To start your adventure as a camp counselor at a US summer camp, all you need to do is join the AmeriCamp family – start your application here! Then, we’ll reach out to set up a call with you to learn all about the type of camp experience you’re looking for, hear why you want to be a camp counselor, and answer any questions you have about AmeriCamp.
We’ll get to work on your visa paperwork while you polish up your resume and start planning your camp counselor activities for kids. Once your application is approved, we’ll circulate your resume to our network of camp directors, and you’ll have your first camp counselor interview before you know it!
Run Camp Counselor Activities and Games with AmeriCamp!
AmeriCamp gives you the opportunity to work at one of the best summer camps in America, shaping the lives of young campers with fun, educational activities to help them grow and develop important skills.
As well as helping campers grow, being an AmeriCamp camp counselor is also an incredible chance to see the best of America’s stunning landscapes, develop your leadership skills, and embark on a journey of self-discovery.
Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime experience! Join AmeriCamp today to start an adventure you’ll never forget.
